Today, thanks to Dr. Wright, I have so much more information about what works for acne than I did when I was a teenager. And while, thankfully, my skin has cleared up since then, acne is still a major problem for many teens and adults, sometimes showing up again unexpectedly later in life, well after you thought you were safe.
But the medical mainstream doesn’t have any better solutions to this problem than it did when I was in high school. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed clear evidence that yet another mainstream treatment — pulsed dye laser therapy — doesn’t work. But despite the treatment’s failure, the researchers still concluded that the ineffectiveness wouldn’t be grounds rule it out as a viable therapy.
What I wish the mainstream would realize — and what I wish I’d known as a teen — is that most skin problems, including acne, are better solved by focusing on what you’re putting inside your body, not what you’re slathering or shining onto your face.
Since our skin is technically an excretory organ — meaning part of its function is to excrete toxins — food sensitivities, allergies, or just a poor diet are going to show up there first. A little sleuthing with food elimination and reintroduction might help you pinpoint exactly what makes your skin erupt, and what foods help keep it clear. Dr. Wright has always maintained that one of the worst offenders here is refined sugar, as well as other refined carbohydrates, so pay particular attention to how these affect you. And remember that eliminating them altogether will help your overall health — including your skin — tremendously.
Beyond foods, there are also some nutrients than can be especially helpful. While many acne sufferers get some relief from taking antibiotics, ongoing use of these drugs does more harm than good. Dr. Wright has found that using zinc in place of antibiotics is much more effective — and safe. Adults can take 15-30 mg. daily for mild acne, or up to 30 mg. two to three times daily for severe cases. And Dr. Wright always recommends taking copper with zinc — 1 mg of copper for every 15 mg of zinc you take.
B Vitamins are also very helpful in treating skin problems — particularly for breakouts that occur in women around their menstrual cycle. Folic acid (10 mg a day) and vitamin B6 (50 mg. two to three times a day) work well. In men, selenium seems to give better results (200 micrograms a day).
It’s not that topical treatments don’t work many of them work quite well. Like azelaic acid for acne rosacea or Retin-A (see “What is” below). But topical treatments generally don’t address the root causes of skin problems — they just manage some of the symptomatic response.
But for teenagers and adults alike, acne can be better managed, and even completely cured, by attending to your overall health, not just your skin. A health body will most likely have healthy skin to show for it.
Red tea, or red herring?
Q: I’m always hearing about the health benefits of tea but I am sensitive to caffeine. Recently, I saw something called “red tea” in the stores and the label said it was caffeine-free. Could this version give me the same health benefits without the caffeine?
JVW: That’s exactly what the importers and marketers would like you to think, but it’s not quite that simple.
“Red tea,” or rooibos (pronounced roy-boss), isn’t actually tea at all. It comes from a plant called Aspalanthus linearis that grows primarily in South Africa. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The only difference between the various teas — the black, green, and white varieties — that come from the camellia sinensis plant is the amount of time spent in processing. That process affects how much of the original health benefits remain in the tea. Generally, the less time tea is processed, the better. White tea is the least processed of all, and carries the most significant health benefits. Black tea is the most processed, and thus has the least of the stellar health benefits — but they are present, nonetheless.
The tricky part here is that the manufacturers are calling rooibos tea when, technically, it isn’t, and that they’re saying it has all the health benefits that tea offers without the caffeine. That could be slightly misleading. Rooibos does contain some polyphenols, which have proven to ward off some forms of cancer. But studies show it contains about half as many polyphenols as green tea, although the marketing claims say the polyphenol content is equal.
It also appears to have minimal amounts of calcium, potassium, zinc, and magnesium than is found in true teas.
This isn’t to say that rooibos isn’t good for you South Africans have used it for years to soothe upset stomachs and relieve hay fever symptoms. But while it might offer its own unique benefits, rooibos clearly is not real tea’s health equivalent.
What is Retin-A?
Retin-A is an active and very strong topical form of vitamin A. It is often used to improve the appearance and texture of the skin since it produces a mild, superficial peel of the epidermis or outer layer of the skin. Although it is technically a natural product, it is only available by prescription.
Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing
Sources:
Orringer JS, et. al. “Treatment of acne vulgaris with a pulsed dye
laser: a randomized controlled trial.” JAMA 2004; 291(23): 2,834-
2,839
Marnewick JL, Joubert E, et al. “Modulation of hepatic drug
metabolizing enzymes and oxidative status by rooibos (Aspalathus
linearis) and Honeybush (Cyclopia intermedia), green and black
(Camellia sinensis) teas in rats.” J Agric Food Chem 2003; 51(27):
8,113-8,11
